The present invention relates to a sound comprehending and recognizing system and more particularly pertains to allowing learning disabled children to learn how to properly pronounce and recognize words.
Children learning to speak generally have a difficult time sorting out the multitude of individual sounds that are used in pronouncing different words. It typically takes several years before all or even most words and sounds are pronounced properly. Even in grade school, xe2x80x9cphonicsxe2x80x9d instruction is continued to help correct mispronunciations and promote greater understanding of the various sounds.
However, children with learning disabilities have a much more difficult time with the various sounds that make up a language. Further, children with hearing and speaking impairments are severely disadvantaged in this regard, and require additional assistance, and additional tools to help them achieve proficiency.
The use of teaching aids is known in the prior art. More specifically, teaching aids heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of teaching children are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,502 to Davis discloses a speech pattern correction device for deaf and voice-impaired. U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,112 to Kondraske et al. discloses a character pattern recognition and communications apparatus. U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,846 to Simmons discloses a speech therapy variable code learning translator. U.S. Pat. No. 4,581,756 to Togawa et al. discloses a recognition of speech or speech-like sounds using associative memory. U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,915 to Ott discloses an allophone vocoder. U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,215 to Hakaridani et al. discloses a recognition of speech or speech-like sounds.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objective and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a sound comprehending and recognizing system for allowing learning disabled children to learn how to properly pronounce and recognize words.
In this respect, the sound comprehending and recognizing system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of allowing learning disabled children to learn how to properly pronounce and recognize words.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved sound comprehending and recognizing system which can be used for allowing learning disabled children to learn how to properly pronounce and recognize words. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.
In the view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of teaching aids now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved sound comprehending and recognizing system. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved sound comprehending and recognizing system which has all the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a graphical representation regarding one or more words. The design includes a horizontal axis and a vertical axis. The vertical axis has all of the letters of the alphabet arranged vertically in order. The horizontal axis includes one or more discrete locations. A first letter of the word is represented at the discrete location. Immediately below the discrete location is a sub-location where the first and a second letter of the word are represented. A bar graph extends immediately above the discrete location to a height dictated by the second letter, such that the bar graph extends to the height of said second letter on the vertical axis. An image of a word having the same first and second letters is provided immediately above the bar graph.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved sound comprehending and recognizing system which has all the advantages of the prior art teaching aids and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved sound comprehending and recognizing system which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved sound comprehending and recognizing system which is of durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved sound comprehending and recognizing system which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such a sound comprehending and recognizing system economically available to the buying public.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved sound comprehending and recognizing system for allowing learning disabled children to learn how to properly pronounce and recognize words.
Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved sound comprehending and recognizing system including a graphical representation regarding one or more words. The design includes a horizontal axis and a vertical axis. The vertical axis has all of the letters of the alphabet arranged vertically in order. The horizontal axis includes one or more discrete locations. A first letter of the word is represented at the discrete location. Immediately below the discrete location is a sub-location where the first and a second letter of the word are represented. A bar graph extends immediately above the discrete location to a height dictated by the second letter, such that the bar graph extends to the height of said second letter on the vertical axis. An image of a word having the same first and second letters is provided immediately above the bar graph.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.